Just Around the Corner
by BethyBoo97
Summary: James is broken hearted when he realises that Jean will never fall for him but then he meets a girl when he's in the pub drowning his sorrows, and thats when he realises that happiness is always just around the corner.
1. Chapter 1

Have you ever fallen in love with someone you couldn't have? That's what he'd done, he fell in love with his happily married boss and it wasn't until Robbie reminded him of that fact that he realised that she wasn't about to run off for a life with him. So that's why he was on his third pint of beer already in a pub where he'd never been before, in the hope that no one would recognise him. James was in luck because there was only an elderly couple and a group of young women there, one of which is standing next to him at the bar.

"Yes sir?" The bartender asked him.

"Same again please, and whatever the pretty girl standing next to me is having." James replied.

"Thanks, a pineapple and lemonade please." The woman replied, just as a group of what he assume to be her friends, came up behind her.

"We're going off to find a club, are you coming Beth?" One of the girls asked her.

"No, I've just ordered a drink so I'll have that and head back as I have a tutorial in the morning."

"Okay."

"So you're at the university Beth?" James asked her as their drinks were placed in front of them.

"Yeah, first year."

"Studying anything interesting?"

"History and politics, boring I know but I love it." Beth repliesd

"Better than a philosophy degree. Do you want to find a table?"

"I don't think that'll be hard, it's practically empty in here. Firstly though, you never did tell me your name!"

"I'm James, James Hathaway."

Beth stood first and walked to a table out of everyone else's sight, that was when James really had a chance to look at the woman he was talking to. She was tall, not quite as tall as him but still tall, her red hair sat just under her shoulders, her brown leggings perfectly showed off her legs while her oversized woolly jumper was appropriate for the outside weather.

"So where did you do your philosophy degree?" Beth asked before sipping a bit more of her drink.

"Cambridge."

"That's interesting, I'm from Cambridge."

"You're from Cambridge and you're here in rival territory?" James laughed.

"Yeah, I wanted the university experience and I wasn't going to get that at home. Since I assume you're out of university now, what do you do?"

"Yeah I'm out of university, I'm a police officer. What do you want to do once you've finished your degree?"

"Promise you won't laugh?" Beth asked as she looked up at him, he'd only just noticed that there was no make up across her face, unlike a lot of people her age who plastered their face in it.

"Of course I won't, I doubt it's that bad anyway."

"I ultimately want to be prime minister." Beth told him.

"Well chase your dreams."

"I intend to. Anyway James, I have a tutorial first thing but here's my number. I've had a really nice time tonight, maybe I'll see you around."

James took her number and added it to his phone, he didn't know if he would contact her again or how quickly she'd want him to contact her, he had some thinking to do with regarding to Beth.


	2. Chapter 2

'Hi Beth, it's James. I was just wondering if you wanted to go for a drink or a meal tonight?' James finally plucked up the courage to text Beth a couple of days later, after deciding to get to know the younger woman a bit better. He didn't have to wait long for Beth's reply.

'A meal sounds good, I'm fed up of living off ready meals. Where and what time?'

'Text me your address and I'll pick you up at 7' James text back and was glad to see that she did. He was unsure on whether this was a date or not but he knew which he was rather it was.

"Hello James." Beth greeted him as she opened the door, she was wearing a bit of eyeliner and lipstick this time and a short summer dress that showed just how long her legs were. "Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"No, it's a surprise." James told her and smiled as she linked her arm with his.

"I don't like surprises." Beth commented.

"Do you like anything?" James laughed.

"We'll see, there's this guy that might be heading in the right direction but we'll see."

"We're here." James told her as he stopped in front of a posh restaurant.

"Wow, I've never been here before."

"You've only been in Oxford a couple of months, plus it's not somewhere most people go when on a student loan."

"Well I am on a student loan, so why are we here?" Beth asked, her face showing James how anxious she was.

"Don't worry." James told her gently. "I invited you, it's my treat."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, now sit down." James told her as he pulled out a chair for her to sit down.

Conversation started on James' work, meaning Beth now knew all about what James did and his friends there, while James had learnt about Beth's few months in Oxford.

"Just out of interest James, how old are you?" Beth asked curiously.

"32, does that put you off?"

"How do you even know I was on?" Beth laughed.

"I'm a detective remember." They were both laughing now, "I would ask you how old you are but my mother always told me that it was rude to ask a woman's age."

"You have a wise mother then. I just turned 19 a couple of months ago, in September."

"Well then happy belated birthday."

"Thank you."

The rest of the meal had been filled with the pair trying to get to know each other better, but now she'd finished their meal and had paid. They stood in front of the restaurant while they did up their coats and while Beth put on her gloves and scarf.

"Well then, thank you for tonight James. Good night."

"Beth, it's pitch black out here. Let me walk you home."

"James it's freezing out here and you said you didn't live too far from here. There's no point in you getting hypothermia to walk me home." Beth pointed out.

"I want to make sure you get home safely, so come on and no arguing."

"Would you like to come in? I have hot chocolate." Beth told him.

"What's with all the cases laying around?" James asked as he saw a lot of suitcases lying behind Beth.

"Christmas break starts now so we're all going home tomorrow."

"Oh, how long for?" James asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"3 weeks."

"Oh, well I better be getting back home."

"Why? Have you got a wife waiting for you, that you haven't told me about?" Beth half joked.

"No of course I don't, I just don't want to get in your way and keep you up if you have a day of travelling tomorrow."

"Okay, I'll text you and maybe we can meet up when I'm back?"

"Okay."

"Until then here's something to remember me by." Beth said as she reached up and kissed him. "Bye James."

"Bye Beth."


	3. Chapter 3

"Why are you so happy sergeant?" Robbie asked as James once again smiled at his phone. "Is it a girl?"

"It might be, not that it's any of your business."

"James you were in love with Innocent last week." Robbie pointed out.

"No, I thought I was and anyway you made it very clear that it would never happen."

"Well it wasn't going to, so are you going to tell me anything about this girl?"

"No."

Beth had been away a week already but the pair had been constantly texting, messages were becoming more and more flirty and now more serious as they told each other that they missed the other. James had never been like this before, he'd not even acted like a teen when he was one but yet Beth made him feel like one all over again. She brought out a different side to him and it was one that he loved.

They were missing each other so much that they had now arranged to meet up in Cambridge the following day as it was the weekend.

* * *

"Hey mummy, can I talk to you a minute?" Beth asked as her mum lay in bed.

"Sure, what's up Beth?" Beth's mum, Sue, asked.

"I kind of have a boyfriend back in Oxford." Beth told her mum as she laid beside her mother.

"That's great sweetie, are you coping though? Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yeah I am, I'm not scared in the slightest and I think that's probably a good sign."

"Of course it is, so what's his name?"

"James, he's a bit older than me. He's a police officer, he's a sergeant. He's honestly so lovely, he's a real gentleman, he walks me home in the dark no matter how cold it is, he holds doors open for me and pulls chairs out for me."

"He sounds lovely Boo, how much older is he?" Sue asked, slightly worried despite all she'd just heard about James.

"32. That's only 13 years, that's less than the difference between you and dad."

"So when do we get to meet him?"

"Actually that's what I wanted to talk to you about. He's coming to Cambridge to meet me tomorrow, I was wondering if he could stay here for the weekend?"

"That's so lovely that he's coming to meet you, I'll have to speak to your dad about him staying but I can't see there being a problem, he'll have to stay in the spare room though!"


End file.
